The Truth About Heaven
by kirby1991
Summary: An AU story involving the on-going relationship of Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry. A possible tear-jerker, as well.
1. Chapter 1

_The Truth About Heaven_

"_Dear Rachel,_

_Hi! It's Finn. Sorry, this letter is probably a little bumpy. I'm somewhere in Mexico, or Egypt or something. I think. Uh, anyway, I was just writing you because…you know, I figure NYADA is probably lonely. And I'm kind of lonely, and I traded a sack of oranges for this paper. But that guy doesn't know that oranges are kind of gross, I guess. Oh, well. He'll figure it out soon enough. Anyway, I love you, and I can't wait to see you, whenever that'll be. I'd better get back before my Sergeant yells at me again. He can yell pretty loud, you know. I miss you like crazy, more and more every day. If that's even possible. Take care of yourself, and send me one of those apples I'm always hearing about._

_Love, _

_1__st__ class private Finn Hudson"_

Rachel unknowingly strolled along Fifth avenue, her tiny purse clutched at her side. She wasn't sure what tonight was going to be all about. She just knew it was much different than her usual routine. Her dates with Finn usually consisted of going to Breadsticks, followed by an intense cuddle session at his house, followed by a drive in the park. Ending their night, they would sit in her driveway, lay on top his car, and watch the stars until she inevitably fell asleep, and he carried her inside. She always pretended to be surprised at the gesture, finding it endearing when he would always get sheepish about carrying her to her room, and tucking her in. But in reality, she loved it. It was one of the hundreds of reasons why she loved him.

But this was not a normal event, and this was not Finn Hudson. She loved showing him off, and people were generally surprised when they saw them on the town together. No matter how many times Finn complemented her, it never rang true. At least in her head. She always put him so far above her - at least in the looks category. She made up on the talent portion. Together, they were unstoppable.

"You seem distracted," noted her date. He was tall, athletically built, and handsome. His eyes were warm and inviting, yet he still had the same cocky demeanor that Rachel usually tried to avoid in dating. He was different, though. "Sorry it's not the Ritz," joked Brody. "I'm on a college student's budget, though." He cleared his throat. It was clear he was trying to impress her. "I just know you're into veganism and Italian food." If he knew anything about her, it was probably limited to that. She'd only briefly mentioned Finn. It still hurt too much to talk extensively about him, and she had the irrational thought that by somehow uttering his name, he'd show up out of the blue and sweep her off her feet all over again. One could only hope.

She smiled at him and gratefully linked her arm into his. Her delicate fingers graced over his muscles. She wasn't admiring them, per se, but picturing them on her former fiancée. She could only picture Finn buffing up from all of the running and heavy lifting. It made her blush a bit.

"Is everything okay?" he asked as he politely pulled her chair out for her, offering her his jacket. "We can go somewhere else," he said, straightening his tie. He was nervous, now, and had every reason to be. She finally snapped out of it, his worry being the only thing to illicit a legitimate response. "Oh, oh no," she said, offering him her best smile. "I was just running over some of our numbers," she said, sipping her water. It wasn't necessarily a lie…it just wasn't the truth. She gently tapped her fingers on the table, her usually-painted nails now plain. She had no time for personal appearances. That, and her teacher was kind of a psychotic control freak. But mostly the first part.

So much changed for her in the span of a month. It was unbelievable. She remembered it like it was yesterday; being whisked off to what she thought was her wedding, only to be dumped and dropped off at the Lima Train station by her now-estranged ex-fiancée. It was all a very confusing situation.

"So," began Brody, obviously wanting to break the tension. "Tell me a little more about yourself. I mean, I see you _all _the time and I barely even know what your name is. I was lucky to snag you up," he said with a wink. She felt herself smile. Was he complementing her? She ran her fingers through her curls, something she'd grown accustomed to.

"I'm from Lima," she said, as if it was second-nature. "That's in Ohio." She crossed one leg over the other. "It's a fairly small town." She paused, thinking. She could probably write a book about herself, but tonight, she was having trouble. "I have two gay dads." She grinned at his somewhat surprised reaction, but it was a typical one. "And I'm going to be a star," she said, gesturing to her new tattoo. It was literally a star, but it was remarkably small.

He grinned at her before shaking his head. "You are a mystery," he said, side-glancing at the waiters. "I've been trying to have you as a dance partner for a while now." He sipped his water as well, his throat becoming dry from nerves. "To be honest," he said, lowering his voice. "You're the only one who knows I'm straight." He broke off a piece of bread for himself. Her eyes widened a bit. "Well, you're the only one that I _want _to know," he clarified. She felt herself smile even more. He was certainly turning on the charm.

"_Dear Rachel, _

_It's me again, Finn. I haven't heard back from you and I'm kind of starting to worry. I don't know how mail works down here, but I wrote a few days ago. You might get this right after my first one, actually. They gave me a reward! Some kind of medal, or something. I honestly don't know too much about it, but it's big and golden, and they give it to you if you save one of your buddies. I guess I can just show you when I get back. Anyway, I still love you. _

_P.S., if you could keep that ring for a rainy day, that'd be great. I love you._

_Love, Finn."_

The date went surprisingly well, even under Rachel's nerves. They didn't talk much, but it seemed to be one of those connections where words were sparse. He'd, of course, articulated to her how attractive he found her. She'd have been lying to say she didn't feel the same, so she decided to let him know, too.

They were now walking somewhere along Fifth avenue again, this time holding hands. Her grip was loose, though. His was a bit tighter, though neither of them seemed to noticed. And soon enough, their dorm was in sight. Being the gentleman that he was, he walked her to the third floor and to her door.

She became increasingly nervous. This was usually the part where a kiss would happen, and she could see him leaning into one. Then she pictured that and it leading to something more. The tug of hair, maybe, or being backed into the door. She shook off the thought and lowered her head.

There would be none of that tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

_Dear Rachel,_

_Hey! It's Finn. I don't know if my letters are getting to you, or if yours are just missing me. I'm sorry. We've been traveling, and they'll be sent back to my base. I'll read them first thing as soon as I get them! I bought this really cool-looking gold star from some guy selling them in his shop in the desert. Probably not what you had in mind, but it reminded me of you and I couldn't resist. I say this a lot, but I really hope New York is treating you well. I miss you so much it hurts, sometimes. Not being able to hear your voice or see your face is worse than anything these guys can put me through. But, I love you._

_Anyway, I need to get going. Time to do more marching. Save some apple for me!_

_Love, Finn_

It was amazing the things that could change in two months. Rachel had secured herself with a job as an usher at the local movie theater. No, it wasn't Broadway, but it _was _show business, right? Besides, it helped pay for her groceries. Organic food in New York was _ridiculous_, and her fathers hated having to send all that money every other week. Beauty would have to be earned with hard-earned cash, apparently.

She seemed to have a more frequent guest, too. (Brody, of course.) She grinned as she saw him enter, playfully rolling her eyes. It was strange; some days, she would acknowledge him, others she would entice him but not acknowledge him. No matter how much she wanted to forget Finn, she couldn't. She found herself wondering what he was doing most of the time, whether he was safe and warm, if he'd changed much in the course of four months. She was certain his hair was shaved off - possibly the biggest disappointment. She always loved running her fingers through it.

"Ahem," Brody repeated for the fourth time. "What's a guy gotta do to get a fat-free mocha latte?" he joked lightly. He could tell she was distracted. "Is everything okay?" he asked, taking a cup of water as he waited. "You've been off in La-la land in class." He raised a brow at her. "Is it your boy troubles?" he asked, cup up to his mouth. He wasn't the best at espionage, that was for certain.

She rolled her eyes again as she got back to work. "They're not _boy _troubles," she corrected him. To say that Finn was a boy after what he sacrificed was insulting. "He's a man, trying to find himself." Brody shot his hands up in defense. He didn't necessarily agree, but she seemed set on the idea. "Hey, I'm just saying your head's been in the clouds." He watched her for another moment, sticking his foot in a rather large door. "And maybe I could fix them for you."

She nearly dropped her glass, but maintained her composure. Was he asking her out _officially?_ She swallowed nervously. It was a way to get her mind off of things, sure, but it was also at the expense of someone she cared greatly for.

"I don't know," she finally answered. "What if Finn found out? He would be _so _hurt…"

"He broke up with you," he noted honestly, taking his freshly-prepared drink. "He wouldn't have a way of finding out, anyway."

She considered this for a moment. Well, he was _kind _of right, wasn't he? She bit her lip before giving off a reluctant nod. _Only for a night,_ she thought to herself. He smiled from ear-to-ear. He was more on the track of "relationship-kind-of-thing."

_The Date_

If Rachel would have known Finn could see every move she was making, she would have panicked. There was some intense cuddling on this date - even if it was in public. They chose a nice, hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant whose name had scratched off its own sign. It was in the more rustic - also known as more affordable - part of New York. But Rachel didn't seem to notice him standing outside in the massive amounts of people. Thankfully.

His hand gently pressed against the window as he watched the two interact. She didn't seem quite as into as he did. He wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. Brody sat with a muscular arm around her and took a picture on his iPhone, Finn reading his Instagram caption from the window. "Out with a beautiful girl in a beautiful city. J" He frowned at the words, feeling his heart literally ache for a moment. That was tough. It was about to get worse.

As he saw them step out onto the street, he blended himself in with the crowd. He didn't want to alarm her of his presence - or make her do something out of character. He noticed they stopped right across the street. It was NYADA; it was different than he expected. By the cost of tuition alone, he was expecting a lavish building with golden pillars. But this seemed like an old apartment complex tied in with an office next door. _Maybe it was made to look more artsy? _he thought. Though, admittedly, this was one of the last things on his mind. It was becoming painfully obvious that this was a date, evidenced by the hand-holding. He missed holding her hand, or being near her in general. She always had such perfect skin. It was one of his favorite things about him.

About ten seconds into his watching her, the unbelievable happened. They were now kissing. _Kissing. _Rachel was leaned up on her tip-toes, planting one on his over-masculine lips. Finn could feel the heat burning inside of him, or what he suspected was burning heat. He glared for a few moments and watched as Rachel pulled away. He was the initiator, but she wasn't exactly protesting. She didn't protest even after they went inside together. She must have not even seen him standing there, closer to tears than he'd been since he left her.


End file.
